Postpartum Healing

Now that I am pregnant again with my fourth baby, I will have to be following all these steps when baby arrives this fall. I am so happy I’ve learned what works in healing quickly after a vaginal birth because I will have a newborn and three wild boys to care for. Immediately after vaginal birth, there is a lot of care for your lady bits that may not be expected if this is your first time having a baby. I was clueless to the aftermath, and I wish I researched some proper care techniques before being completely reliant on the nurses to advise me. Three babies later, I’ve had some experience healing and caring for that area. It isn’t fun, but there are some ways you can make things feel better and heal faster. First, Take All The Things From The Hospital: Sure, you can grab some extra squirt…

This post is written by my friend and amazing physical therapist, Dr. Jena Bradley, DPT. Make sure to check out her FREE 5-Day Restore Your Core program to jump start you into healing and working out. Did you just recently have a newborn baby and have been wondering when is the right time to start working out again? Knowing when to start working out after having a newborn is not a one size fits all kind of answer. And starting a postpartum workout is not something you just do without having some medical guidance from a professional. I’m a physical therapist, and I want to make sure you are fully educated on how to start a postpartum workout routine safely so that you not only feel good now, but will ultimately continue to feel good every day in the future. By the time you are done reading this article, you…

Many new mommies have no idea a pelvic floor physical therapy is an option after birth. Here are 5 reasons you need to see a physical therapist for your pelvic floor. This is a guest post written by Dr. Jena Bradley, DPT, mommy of 4 and blogger over at Live Core Strong. She is awesome, and has some great tips on when to see a physical therapist. A lot of women suffer from postpartum pain, incontinence, abdominal separation such as diastasis recti or other women’s health related diagnoses after childbirth. Did you know that you can seek physical therapy to help restore these problems so you no longer have to suffer from them? You don’t have to live with these issues forever. Learn about the 5 most common diagnoses that women suffer from during postpartum that physical therapy can treat. 5 Top Reasons To See A Physical Therapist After Birth…

Postpartum nutrition is really important. And when I say really, I mean it is something that can make or break your healing, energy levels, milk supply and more. I am super passionate about postpartum nutrition because it is the key to keeping both mama and baby healthy after birth. I’ve been slowly working on starting a movement here at The Postpartum Cure, pushing mamas to learn what good, healing nutrition looks like, and why it is important after birth. The medical community is taking notice, and I am so excited to now be working with doctors and OBGYNS to help provide more resources and care after birth. I personally was handed a sheet of simple exercises to do for healing, and offered whatever I wanted to eat from the hospital menu…that was my experience with postpartum care and healing. If you want even more nutrient advice for postpartum healing and…

Balancing hormones after pregnancy consists mainly of a healthy diet, supplemented with some herbs to help regulate hormone production for breastfeeding, healing and recovering after being pregnant. Luckily, many foods have beneficial effects on balancing postpartum hormones, and I am going to go over them here because I believe in nutrient-dense foods. I created The Postpartum Cure as a program to help guide mamas into healing postpartum through food and patience. Many mamas end up craving sugar while breastfeeding, and find themselves dealing with cravings at certain times of the month. This is really difficult to manage if you are trying to lose weight, breastfeeding and function without screaming at any one. Add on the limited sleep, and it is a recipe for one unhappy mama. I wrote a post on specific herbs and supplements you can take to help with hormones. That is a great read too, after looking…

The new year is upon us, and this means that it is the perfect opportunity to renew your body, renew your health and renew your energy as a new mommy. Imagine that you could take back your body, energy and health this year, even with the craziness of a new baby, lack of sleep or unruly toddlers running your life. I know it doesn’t sound possible, but you can in a few simple and easy steps! The new year is the TIME to make time (just a little each day) for yourself. Welcome to your (Re) New plan for your body, health and energy after babies. Let’s go over exactly what this means. First, you are going to re-focus and re-new your health this year by working through some focus points, goals and guidelines. Before you begin, you need to be ready to accept changes, to accept discomfort (which always…

Your uterus begins to shrink back to pre-baby size after birth almost immediately on its own, but there are some things you can do to help your uterus shrink back to is normal and small size. You might want to help your uterus shrink back to normal fast in an effort to help your body. Supporting your body postpartum is always a good idea, especially after the 9 months of pregnancy. During the first 48 hours, you most-likely will feel your uterus contracting back to normal. It can be less noticeable with your fist, but is often felt more after the second or third baby. Either way, those contractions after birth means your body is already getting to work and shrinking your uterus. Helping your uterus shrink back after baby is very important for health reasons, not just getting a flat tummy. When your uterus shrinks, it is slowing down…

New mommies need lots of gear for breastfeeding, healing, surviving, keeping baby happy and more. New mommies also don’t need any excess gear and trinkets that aren’t totally useful. This is where picking the right gifts is super important. You want to give them something that will make their lives easier. Simple as that. This gift list is full of gifts that will actually be USEFUL to mama while breastfeeding and caring for a new baby, while also making their lives much easier. A new mommy gift doesn’t get much better than that! Let’s get into the top 11 gifts for new and breastfeeding mommies: Soothe Shirt: These are awesome and so amazing for keeping baby happy, your milk supply up, and much easier than a wrap or carrier for around the house. Nature Bond Silicone Manual Breast Pump: This will save your milk, and it works really well because…

Postpartum mamas often experience gas and bloat, and want to get rid of it fast. Well, you can get rid of gas and bloat with just a few steps, which will help your tummy calm down after baby. Postpartum gas and bloating is no fun to talk about, but it feels so much better when it is gone. And, healthy food, or cleaning up your diet isn’t always the answer! Postpartum gas and bloat can be the result of many things that are difficult to control. First, let’s talk about some major causes of postpartum gas and bloat, then we will get into how to get rid of the gas and bloating: Gas and bloating happen when hormones and gut bacteria are out of wack. This is the nuts and bolts to what is going on when you have a descended belly and excess flatulence. Hormonal fluctuations are one of…

Postpartum hormones play a major role in affecting weight loss after baby. Hormones are those invisible little guys that can make or break your mood and your weight. Postpartum hormones are especially tricky because there is a roller coaster effect after having a baby, which can send us for a loop of adjustment. Understanding the how postpartum hormone levels ebb and flow after baby is a great start to managing these changes to help you lose the baby weight. After you give birth, progesterone and estrogen take a massive nose dive. This is essential to tell your body to produce breast milk. Your Oxytocin levels also go up for producing breast milk. This is a complete 180 after being pregnant with high levels of estrogen. These hormonal changes cause individual reactions in each mama that are unique to that mama. Some people function at their best with low estrogen and…

About

Katie is Pre/Post Natal Exercise Specialist, and a mom of three boys very close in age. She's experienced many of the not-so-fun aspects of postpartum recovery. She is also highly educated in physical therapy (worked as a PT aid for 2 years and studied in school), Pilates (completed the BASI instructor course and taught for 1 year), and nutrition.